Texas women’s basketball head coach Vic Schaefer has made it a habit not to lose consecutive games, and that stayed true Thursday night. Facing Schaefer’s former lieutenant Johnnie Harris, Texas bounced back from a disappointing loss to defeat unranked Auburn 74-57. UT is now 17-2 with a 4-1 mark in conference play.
The Longhorns were humbled last Sunday, losing 67-50 to No. 2 South Carolina. The newcomers in the SEC faced a hard truth: the Gamecocks still run the conference.
“I don’t know if it’s the response that I really, really wanted, after Sunday, but it was good enough today,” Schaefer said in Thursday’s postgame presser.
The win was a milestone for Texas guard Shay Holle, who became the program’s all-time winningest player in the NCAA era. Holle scored seven points, collected three rebounds and made an assist, but her contributions go far beyond the numbers.
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It wasn’t the smoothest win for the Longhorns. After a slow start, Texas jumped out to a double-digit lead by the time the first quarter ended, and it led by as many as 26 points through the second and third quarters. Texas forward Madison Booker had a strong first half after a disappointing performance against South Carolina, making four of her first five shots and four of five free throws for 17 points.
However, the Longhorns’ offense wilted in the fourth quarter. The bench finished the game with six points and the lead shrunk to 14 with four minutes left. Schaefer was forced to keep his starters in for the entirety of the fourth quarter to maintain the lead.
“Just not good, not what you think you’d see from a mature team. First half was really good … had done so many good things, got exactly what we wanted,” Schaefer said. “But the second half was a grind.”
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“My bench struggled tonight to play. I got to do a better job coaching, teaching and getting them ready,” Schaefer said.
Auburn was led in scoring by post DeYona Gaston, who transferred from Texas this past offseason. Gaston scored 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, but she was completely boxed out on the boards. Texas post Taylor Jones had 15 points and seven rebounds, while Gaston only collected two rebounds. Mar’shaun Bostic added 18 points, six assists and four rebounds on 7-of-14 shooting for the Tigers.
Next, the Longhorns will travel to College Park, Md., to face the No. 8 Terrapins.
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas women’s basketball: Shay Holle hits milestone in win over Auburn
